The self-governing Isle of Man is to expand its medicinal cannabis dispensing service to more pharmacies after a trial last year “built confidence in governance”, the Health Minister has said.
BBC reports that the pilot, extended in November, saw a local outlet awarded the licence to import and dispense the products for those with private prescriptions, and officials said a subsequent review had “not identified any risk or cause for concern” that would stop the Health Department changing licence provisions.
An unrestricted number of pharmacies would be able to apply for a licence from this week (8 July), said Health & Social Carre Minister Lawrie Hooper.
'Long term'
Medicinal cannabis is not currently available on the Manx NHS and there are no GPs registered to prescribe it, but the pharmacy service opens the door for patients on the island to be given the product after obtaining prescriptions from private clinics in England.
Hooper said the decision had given due consideration “to patient accessibility, affordability and safety”.
The department would also seek to make changes to import licences to allow for greater quantity limits, which will “hopefully reduce costs” for pharmacies.
Regarding demand, the Minister said there was “likely” to be an increase, which was in part due to a “slight misunderstanding” of what the products can be used for.
Six-monthly inspections to ensure compliance would also be introduced, he added.
The Isle of Man is in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, and while it is not part of the UK or European Union, it has the status of crown dependency, with an independent administration. The inhabitants are British citizens, and the 8 000 South Africans living there comprise more than 10% of its population.
BBC article – More pharmacies to dispense medicinal cannabis (Open access)
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